Mel Kiper says Towles is one of nation's best QB's

[TuckyFan]

Agree the OP just took great news for one of our Cats and used it for his own agenda to chide posters who may not share his exact view.

What some have said about Towles was accurate the last time we saw him. He did chop his feet, did need to improve on moving through progressions, etc. None of that made him a bust, it made him a sophomore. Now he's a junior and I think all of us hope he is much improved. I expect great things from him, but a big part of that is the pressure he gets from younger players pushing for PT.

 

[bigblueinsanity]

Agree the soap just took great news for one of our Cats and used it for his own agenda to chide posters who may not share his exact view.

What some have said about Towles was accurate the last time we saw him. He did chop his feet, did need to improve on moving through progressions, etc. None of that made him a bust, it made him a sophomore. Now he's a junior and I think all of us hope he is much improved. I expect great things from him, but a big part of that is the pressure he gets from younger players pushing for PT.

Exactly. I fully expect Towles to be great. He was at times last year. But SO FAR, his draft status is based on his physical tools and potential

 

[BigBoyBlueMMA]

I believe that early in the season you will start hearing about this "Towles Kid from KY" again (did a little last season) and I HOPEFULLY believe that the talk won't die out like last season - as our supporting cast and new down field offensive direction replacing side to side will allow his true potential to shine. And no one can argue that he is not a prototypical style Pro QB.

He will play in the NFL. Pinky Promise

 

[TBCat]

Completely agree BlueRaider. It's so hard to judge accurately how good of a job Towles did last season. I think the coaches see the talent, it's just extracting it. Reading between the lines from Stoops last year I get the feeling Towles used a lot of excuses when he played poorly and maybe having a QB competition is something just to keep Towles sharp and maybe make him want to grab this thing by the horns. Become a true leader of this team.

I will say this. I think Brown threw Towles under the bus after the UL game and that was unfair. You'll also never convince me otherwise that Brown started to go ultra conservative with the offense about the time his name started being floated at Troy. That's not a coincidence to me. I think that also helped with Towles regression and the 2nd half slide of the team. I think Towles lost some confidence that was never regained. Hopefully, under a new OC we'll see an aggressive offense all year and a better Towles.

He went conservative way before that. It was really conservative the first year as well. Even early during last season we got conservative. When Towles struggled with Vandy we clearly just decided to only play defense from the 2nd quarter on. There was no serious attempt at scoring. I don't think the Troy job was a factor.

Towles clearly has the physical tools and that is what some are focusing. Performance wise he has been all over the place. I know some what to say Towles was clearly an All American and it was the fault of everyone around him but that isn't the case. His WRs dropped some throws but they also bailed him out on some awful passes that should have been picked as well. At the end of the day blame who you want but you are what you are. Towles right now is a very talented QB that has produce mediocre to at times down right awful performances. He is as much to blame for that as his OL or WRs are. I see nothing gained by throwing his receivers or line under the bus because he still has to play with them this year. If Towles' line and receivers are x100 better but Towles still doesn't see open receivers or throws the behind them then the results will still be the same.

I've seen Towles make throws that a Pro Bowl QB in the NFL would struggle to make. He has also missed on some throws that a typical high school QB routinely makes. Towles biggest issues is that he only throws deep balls well. Anything less than and 20 yards and it is an adventure. Not only that he never seems to lead receivers. Even on screens they almost always come to a full stop and look like they are bracing themselves to catch the ball. If you force receivers to stop on a screen then you aren't giving them a chance to make a play.

 

[footballfanatic77]

I don't understand people preferring Barker over Towles at all. Part of being QB1 is to be the leader of the team. Barker hasn't shown that he possesses the maturity or leadership ability that is necessary for a successful quarterback in the SEC. In terms of raw talent I'm not sure which one is better, but in the intangibles, it seems fans should be very happy with Towles. Probably no one will ever say that AJ McCarron was one of the greatest quarterbacks to every play football, but look at the level of success Alabama achieved with him at the helm.

 

[uofkFTW18]

Let's assume "close to 4,000 yds" is above 3,800 yds. Over the last 5 yrs, an average of 11 QB's get >3800 yds passing per yr......and they are mostly all at the same schools (ie Baylor, Marshall, Texas Tech) So the odds aren't in Towles favor to achieve this next yr......with a team still in building mode......and against SEC defenses.

With Towles still in development as a 2nd yr starting junior.....and the o-line/WR/TE not cranked up all the way......and RB being a position of strength.....I see us running a fairly balanced offense.

I see Towles more in the "wide vacinity" of 3,300 yds throwing, 200 yds rushing.

Agreed. I think the "4,000" number comes from the NFL where a characteristic of a great season for a QB is throwing for 4,000 yards. However, NFL QBs have 4 more games than college QBs, so it's going to be more likely that a great NFL throws for 4,000 than a great college QB.

I think anything greater than 3,000 yards for a college QB in a season is really, really good.

 

[jauk11]

Well, there is the SEC championship game, the first playoff game, and then the NC game. Only 267 YPG, which he would almost have to eclipse to get that far.

Of course he would have to improve his yardage by a lot more than 41 YPG increase to make that scenerio possible.

 

[TuckyFan]

I just don't get the notion of Barker vs Towles that some keep engaging in. They play for the same team. There is every reason to think Towles will start and, with another year and quality SEC snaps under his belt, he should be ahead. And he should be good. But if Barker manages to be better than that, the team benefits, and fans should be good with that....not that I see that as likely. But there is no battle of QBs for me. UK should have improved play no matter who is under center.

I do think Barker has to get some snaps this year. Hopefully we have some games where he can come in and get his feet wet without too much pressure.

 

[BBBLazing]

You honestly don't recall the complaints of choppy feet in the pocket, not going through progressions, not seeing/throwing over the middle, inaccuracy, bad decision-making by running too much, poor leadership, falling off badly the last 1/2 the season (When we played our toughest six opponents.)? Seriously? You must not come around much as you certainly missed those drumbeats.

Other than "poor leadership" are any of those criticisms about his performance last year incorrect?

The thing that scares me about the analysis of Towles is that it says he has 4 OL returning. I hope they have improved a bunch.

 

[DaBossIsBack]

Agreed. I think the "4,000" number comes from the NFL where a characteristic of a great season for a QB is throwing for 4,000 yards. However, NFL QBs have 4 more games than college QBs, so it's going to be more likely that a great NFL throws for 4,000 than a great college QB.

I think anything greater than 3,000 yards for a college QB in a season is really, really good.

That number comes from the fact that when Dawson was sole play caller before WVU, he threw the hell out of the ball.

 

[hmt5000]

A lot of small improvement will make a big difference overall. OL will be a little better and the running backs a little better. the wr's will be more physical and run better routes. te will be more of a weapon even with lack of experience. we will be a little more uptempo and towles will be a little more experienced, calm, and knowledgeable. opposing D's will not be able to just pin their ears back and go for the qb. so he completes a little higher % and those passes go for a few more yards/catch and we throw 10 or so more passes/game.

 

[Caveman Catfan]

Not worried about the QB spot, the WR spots or RB.

 

[BobbyK49]

So you are anticipating him throwing for an average of 100 more yards a game this year?

With Dawson's want to have more of a vertical offense and the improvement of the receiving corps (Wrs and TEs} I don't think 4000 yds passing by Towles is all that hard to believe. Besides, with our lack of depth and girth at the RB position Towles is going to have to have a big year for the etam to be successful.

 

[BlueRaider22]

That number comes from the fact that when Dawson was sole play caller before WVU, he threw the hell out of the ball.

He has since stated that he has refined his play calling.......after learning from Holgorsen. He's much more balanced now....which is what Stoops' likes as well. However, Dawson has said that although he prefers balance, he will take what the defense gives him......if that means he throws it most of the time then he will.

 

[KopiKat]

I just don't get the notion of Barker vs Towles that some keep engaging in. They play for the same team. There is every reason to think Towles will start and, with another year and quality SEC snaps under his belt, he should be ahead. And he should be good. But if Barker manages to be better than that, the team benefits, and fans should be good with that....not that I see that as likely. But there is no battle of QBs for me. UK should have improved play no matter who is under center.

I do think Barker has to get some snaps this year. Hopefully we have some games where he can come in and get his feet wet without too much pressure.

QB competitions are what they are. Towels will start. Dawson's system will be great improvement.

 

[1stKatMan]

Patrick Towles needs to throw the hell out of the ball to a rounded up posse of WR's all summer so that they can create a second natured expectation for linking the pass to the catch. Routes expected by the QB's will allow him to put the ball in the air and the WR's will run under it. Many reps will give Towles the insight to make all the passes a success.

Dawson will be speeding up the offense so the offense needs to be prepared and correlate a cultured pattern of behavior so that everything will fit together when the official fall practices arrive. That time to prepare is now by all involved. Barker needs to ride in that same boat. One injury will put him in the same position. Not to mention, he will get his opportunity to participate. Especially if Towles doesn't live up to this hype.

 

[Chuckinden]

Well, it looks like we might be able to finally start silencing some of the Towles haters. No longer can Towles' talent and ability be ignored by our fans who have long taken for granted just how good of a player he is and the QB that he's turning into.

It might ruffle a few feathers around here, but Mel Kiper ranked Towles' the 5th-best non-senior QB in the entire nation and the second-best QB in the SEC.

Kiper divided his QB draft rankings into two categories: seniors and non-seniors..and gave a top-five list for each. Towles is ranked the 5th-best non-senior QB, just behind Heisman candidates Cardale Jones and Gunner Kiel. That's big-time. He's ranked ahead of a lot of really, really good QB's that'll be competing for the Heisman trophy & playing on national title-contending teams.

Here's what Kiper had to say about Towles:

"5. Patrick Towles, Kentucky Wildcats: The numbers won't jump out at you, but the size (6-5, 241 pounds) and natural ability will. Don't let that size make you think Towles lacks athleticism, either. The former high school high jumper can really move. With new offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson's arrival from West Virginia, there will be high expectations for this offense, and the return of four starters on the O-line will help."


I looked over at the early QB draft rankings at yardbarker.com..and they have Towles ranked even higher than Kiper..according to them, he's the 7th-best QB draft prospect in the entire nation, ahead of star players and Heisman-contenders like Taysom Hill, Everett Golson, Braxton Miller, Maty Mauk, Jacob Coker, Josh Dobbs and about a dozen other high-profile QB's.

Here's what they had to say in their evaluation of Towles:

"Towles didn't have a great supporting cast in 2014, but the first-year starter flashed at times. He has a big arm and pocket presence. Towles completed 57 percent of his passes for 2,718 yards with 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He has the skill set and upside to develop."

Thanks goodness someone besides me (and a handful of our fans) are finally recognizing just what we have in this guy. It's gotten to a point where we can no longer downplay or ignore just how special a talent he is. He has all of the potential in the world right now. I mean he hasn't even fully developed & started putting up big numbers yet and he's already rated as one of the best. That should tell you all you need to know about how talented he is and what kind of QB he's turning into.

The crazy thing is that I can recall at the end of last season there were fans on here that were asking him to be replaced with Max Smith and Reese Phillips (no, I'm not kidding you).

Maybe now some of you can see why those of us who saw Towles' talent all along were more than a little frustrated when we read some of this silly stuff from our fans wanting to bench the guy who might be the SEC's most talented QB.

There were times last year I just wanted to yell at some of our fans who literally never gave Towles any credit at all throughout the season and never recognized how talented he was and what he could turn into this year.

You'd think with having one of the best NFL prospects in the nation at QB we'd be jumping up and down..but the sad thing is that I can't recall a single positive Towles-related thread, well..ever posted on this board. Not a single one. There's something wrong with that picture.

Maybe it's because he's a "Joker" recruit.. that's the only thing I can attribute it to..who knows. Heck, Drake Jackson and Kash Daniel have gotten more love than Towles this offseason.

I posted a positive thread about Towles last season after he had a successful start to the season and lit up Florida, and I basically got shunned off the board by our experts who said he didn't have enough zip on his ball and thought he chopped his feet too much.

Such is the frustration of being a Kentucky football fan. Sometimes we don't realize what real talent looks like unless it comes up and slaps us in the face.

Maybe Mel Kiper, ESPN analysts and draft experts praising Towles aren't enough. Maybe we won't realize how good he is until Nick Saban comes and knocks on our door and tells us personally...who knows.

Such a whiney post.

 

[TuckyFan]

QB competitions are what they are. Towels will start. Dawson's system will be great improvement.

Not about QB competition on the field, or even among the players...what confounds me is the fanbase picking "their guy" and then defending it like they do....chiding the other side like the OP did.